The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-04-30
HOW TO COOK.
Sensible Girls Who Are Finding
Out About 1t.
Some Are Poor and Some Are Rich, But
All Enthusiastic-An Evening Scene
in a School of Cookery.


Eight young women, arriving by ones
and twos, climbed the stairs which lead
to narrow and cramped fiat. One of
the young women was cashier in a
dry goods store, three were type
writers, two were shop girls employed
on State street, one milliner and one
a sewing girl. All were well dressed
and jolly, and inclined to giggle and
litter about nothings. Nobody appeared
to welcome them nor to ask them to
take off ''their things" but by this they
were in nowise embarrassed, for they
promptly removed their wraps and made
themselves at home, After good deal
of primping before mirror, arranging
of stray locks of brown, black and
golden hair, brushing of shop dust and
street mud from their dresses, and wash
ing of hands and trimming of finger
nails, they all put on large aprons and
pulled their sleeves up from their plump
wrists as if they meant business, and
then trooped into the kitchen. They
were in such good spirits that but for the
fact that young ladies attending party
are usually afraid to let it be known that
they ever entered kitchen, one might
easily imagine these young women had
gathered for social pleasures. And so
they had-for cooking party. This
flat, then, was the abode of the Chicago
School of Cookery and Housework, and
these young women were the members
of one of its classes, assembling for an
evening lesson. Mrs. Riley, the comely
manager, teacher and presiding genius
of the school, is a cheerful sort of a
person, as lively as cricket, always
smiling and appearing altogether like
one who enjoys life, and goodly share
of the good things in it. Though not
at all fat, she is a plump little body,
with plenty of good, healthy color in
her face, and general suggestion of a
keen appetite and of physical prosperity
on diet of her own cooking.
Mrs. Riley puts on her apron and
Joins the girls who have gathered about
the big mixing table in the preparing
room. Out of her book the teacher
reads list of the dishes to be prepared
during the evening, and to each pupil
assigns task. The girls 90 to work
with will. Out of the numerous
drawers and cupboards of the large
boX-like table are taken pudding dishes,
shining kettles and pans, molding
boards, wooden bowls, graduated cups
of all sizes, and also the materials for
cooking. When any thing is needed,
down goes black or brown head, and
the desired article at once appears from
out the mysterious box. A well-stocked
box like that, one can not help think
ing while the girls are bobbing around
it, would be a handy thing to have in
any house, particularly if among its
attachments was good cook. On the
walls, within easy reaching distance,
are arranged various other utensils re-
quired in kitchen. The arrangement
and system are perfect, and every thing
is eXquisitely neat and well kept.
But now the girls have the ingredi-
ents in hand, and they all become a
little more serious when their teacher
asks them questions about the different
dishes they are to prepare and the man
ner in which they are to begin. For
the most part these questions are an
swered in true cookbook style, and
then the fun begins.
Take pint of bread crumbs, half a
cup of butter, pinch of salt, dash of
pepper, a tablespoon of onion oil and a
can of tomatoes" reads one girl, who
had been assigned escalloped tomatoes.
''Who ever heard of onion oil? How
can you get oil from thing like thatp"
she eXclaims, half in doubt if there is
not joke out, and holding up one of
the odorous spring vegetables.
She is at once shown how to get oil
from an onion, and, though bit dis
comiited, is encouraged by the story
that one of the other girls tells as the
work goes on. 1t is story about Miss
B, the daughter of prominent
citizen, and also has an onion in it.
When Miss B was told to put some
minced onion into something she was
aboutto cook she began looking through
the cupboard for the prescribed in
gredieBt, and afterward confessed that
she supposed il grew in a minced con-
dition, and was bottled ready for use.
"Just see the cate cake baked yes
terday," exclaims one happy little shop
girl, proudly holding aloft small
frosted pound cake. 81 came early
yesterday afternoon and worked until
seven o'clock at it. o, was so tired.
Such lot of measuring, weighing and